Have you ever heard that phrase, “you should try to be brilliant at being boring?” With all of the technological advances in computers, hundreds of channels on the cable TV, and music any way that you want it, don’t you find more people quickly getting bored at what they do? People surf the internet looking for that funny new You Tube video, only to be quickly bored and searching for their next two minutes of laughter. Every night, loyal Facebook members log in to check out the days events looking for a quick picture of their friends, and then shut themselves down after reading 10 or 20 posts unless something really catches their attention. With nothing to do, Twitter in its own right is simply a way for many to just idly throw their thoughts our there if they’ve got nothing better to do. Does all of this instant excitement make it harder for people to go to work without being bored?

Many years ago in my corporate life I read the book Mastery by George Leonard. I recommend you read this if you have some time. Leonard talked about the concept of loving the plateau. He discussed that the truly successful people in life realize how work will change from time to time, but learning to enjoy mastering your skills at the highest level is what creates lifelong achievement. Here are a few examples of how being brilliant at being boring can make you get to the top of the mountain at whatever you do.

Yul Brynner became famous when he shaved his head in 1951 for his starring role in the Kind and I. He did that show on Broadway over 1,500 times and his bald head became iconic around the world. Think about it . . . your boss says that you will get paid a ton of money if you come to work every day for the next five years and you have to do the same thing every single day. Could you stomach that? The key is that every night Yul Brynner had a different audience and he knew that although he couldn’t change the script of the King and I, he could keep his attitude to make the best performance for the audience every single night.

Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics will surely be a hall of famer. He’s got the record for the most three point field goals in NBA history. Ray Allen isn’t the biggest, strongest, or fastest NBA player that ever stepped on to the court. However, Ray Allen is legendary for being known as a ‘gym rat’ signifying the hours upon hours of practicing his form and shot for the fifteen to twenty attempts he would make every night on the NBA center stage. There are very few players that you would want to depend on to make a clutch three point shot or free throw down the stretch other than Ray Allen. He knows that if being boring is shooting 500 to 1,000 shots a day, that work effort is what will put him in the hall of fame.

Michael Phelps won eight gold medals and he’ll be back in London this summer. In peak training phases, Phelps swims minimum 80,000 meters a week, which is nearly 50 miles. He practices twice a day, sometimes more if he’s training at altitude. Phelps trains for around five to six hours a day at six days a week. To give himself some additional entertainment in the water, Phelps listens to music during his long workouts with waterproof headphones. Swimming in the water, especially that long, can be pretty boring. Listening to music can provide that extra spark to your workout. He also lifts weights three or four days a week and takes in 12,000 calories a day. (source: muscleprodigy.com) Phelps knows that to win Gold, you have to be boring enough to do the same things over and over again.

My first boss in this business told me that the real key skill to learn in life is discipline if I wanted to really hit peak performance both personally and professionally. Years later, I understand that discipline is boring. It’s the true measure of really getting things done even when you are not really motivated to get them done. If you are interested in making more money in life, you have to make the smart money move of getting excited around being bored. While it isn’t the most fun in the world all the time, those that do it and do it well are rewarded no matter what path in life they choose. Have a boring day!

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My friends and family all think I’m a workaholic, but I say I’m just a guy that loves to help people do better in life.

My mother is still the only one that calls me by my real name Theodore Michael, my wife calls me Teddy, but for the rest of you it is just plain old Ted.

Ever since I was a little kid, I always loved money and being an entrepreneur. In fact, I still have cassette tapes of me talking to my grandmother at the age of five and my mother tells me all the time how much I played with money as a kid...

Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. oXYGen Financial is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS. Kestra IS and Kestra AS do not provide tax or legal advice.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor regarding your individual situation.

Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisory Services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. Oxygen Financial is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS. Kestra IS and Kestra AS do not provide tax or legal advice.

This site is published for residents of the United States only. Registered Representatives of Kestra IS and Investment Advisor Representatives of Kestra AS may only conduct business with residents of the states and jurisdictions in which they are properly registered. Therefore, a response to a request for information may be delayed. Not all products and services referenced on this site are available in every state and through every representative or advisor listed. For additional information, please contact Kestra IS Compliance Department at 512-697-6000.

PLEASE NOTE: The information being provided is strictly as a courtesy. When you link to any of the web sites provided here, you are leaving this web site. Kestra IS and Kestra AS makes no representation as to the completeness or accuracy of information provided at these web sites. Nor is Kestra IS and Kestra AS liable for any direct or indirect technical or system issues or any consequences arising out of your access to or your use of third-party technologies, web sites, information and programs made available through this web site. When you access one of these web sites, you are leaving our web site and assume total responsibility and risk for your use of the web sites you are linking to.